Trustees report repeated unauthorized charges to Lee library reserve; board accepts $15,000 ADA grant

John Tapen, chair of the Trustees of Trust Funds, told the Lee Select Board during public comment that the trustees have been asked for the third year running to provide reimbursement for expenditures charged to the Lee Library Building Capital Reserve Fund without prior authorization. "In 2024, it was more than $44,000. In 2025, more than $92,000. And in 2026 was $7,312.50," Tapen said, arguing the pattern suggests the select board’s authority as the town’s agent is being ignored.

Tapen explained the trustees’ role is custodial: they will release money only for the purpose and amount approved by the legislative body, and they expect proper authorization before funds are expended. He said the trustees will meet again on Monday, June 15, to review the matter.

Separately, during a public hearing the board considered and approved a $15,000 grant from the Association for Small and Rural Libraries to fund an automatic ADA-compliant entrance door for the Lee Public Library vestibule. "It's for the Association for Small and Rural Libraries. The grant is for $15,000 and it is for the ADA compliant door for the vestibule," Haley, the library director, told the board. The director said the grant should cover the cost of the door, mechanics and installation.

Haley also updated the board on building procurement: she said the library trustees selected Madco Construction (described in the record as the Mancini firm out of Dover, New Hampshire) in response to the RFP and that town counsel reviewed an indemnification clause in the contract. She said the contract was sent to Primex, the town’s insurer, for sign-off and that she expected insurer clearance the following day. Design work had not been finalized; Haley said she expected an initial draft of drawings around June 18.

Board members confirmed the posted public notice language and that the recorded grant source differed from a previous entry on the agenda (the agenda had listed a different program, Libraries Transforming Communities). After that clarification and a motion to accept and appropriate the $15,000 grant, the board voted to approve the grant.

The trustees’ assertion about unauthorized expenditures remained undecided in the public meeting record; Tapen’s remarks documented the trustees’ position and the planned trustees’ meeting to follow. The board did not resolve the reimbursement requests on the floor that evening.

Next steps and follow-up: the trustees will meet on June 15 to review prior reimbursements, and library staff expect insurer sign-off on the construction contract and initial design drawings in mid-June.